Today, OmniVision Technologies announced the availability of a new 14.6 megapixel HD image sensor that’s capable of 60 fps for full 1080p HD video. That’s a far cry from the current 3.2-megapixel camera in the iPhone 3GS.
Apple switched to OmniVision Technologies as the source for the camera chips in the iPhone 3GS and there’s already talk of Apple using OVT’s 5-megapixel chips in their next generation iPhone due summer 2010.
With more and more mega-pixels, what’s to become of the iPhone photographers, who coax incredible art out of the current lo-tech? Will everybody with an iPhone be able to take amazing pictures?
Does more mega-pixels matter?
It isn’t about pixels. The tiny lens and resulting small aperture and focal-length are major contributors to the quality (or lack thereof) that we get out of the iPhone in less than optimal conditions. With everything else remaining the same, more pixels won’t result in better pictures.
We don’t need your stinking mega-pixels
A 3.2-megapixel camera can produce more than enough resolution for any online viewing, say, on Flickr. Even for printing, 3.2-megapixels is plenty for your standard 3×5 or 4×6 prints. How many poster-sized prints do we need from any camera?
Improve You.
What will make a difference much more than mega-pixels is higher quality lenses, analog zoom, low-light performance (which more pixels works against).
What will make the biggest difference of all is when you realize that the camera isn’t taking the picture. The photographer is taking the picture. The skilled photographer knows the capabilities limits of the tool he or she has, and can make the best of it. The camera is just there to capture the shot and make it easier.
To answer the question posed in the title of this post, no, I don’t think so.
Improved technology will allow the iphone to work better in more conditions, like low light or long-distance, approaching the capabilities of point and shoot cameras. But the iPhone is still a computer with an operating system. Software developers can still create a LO-FI camera that emulates a Helga camera or a Kodak Instamatic camera. The photographers who know how to make those cameras dance will continue to impress.
